Dealer WP-Consumer Reports Update - Goodman Manufacturing

Dealer White Paper: Consumer Reports, AC Brands Survey, May 2012
JUDGED, NOT TESTED: CONSUMER REPORTS ® GOT IT WRONG
Goodman Manufacturing Company, L.P. • 5151 San Felipe, Suite 500 • Houston, TX 77056
Main: 713.861.2500 • www.goodmanmfg.com
April 10, 2012
If anyone is qualified to judge the reliability of a central air conditioning or heat pump unit, it is the
thousands of HVAC dealers and installers across the nation. HVAC dealers know best when it comes to
making recommendations to homeowners and most HVAC dealers believe in the Goodman ® brand to
deliver value and reliable comfort to their customers. With some of the industry’s best limited product
warranties 1 , units filled with features at an attractive price point, and millions of Goodman ® brand
systems installed over the years, it’s no wonder why.
Consumer Reports ® magazine states on its website that it would be impractical for them to provide
brand and model ratings of central air conditioning systems due to the large number of variables
(installation, home size, ductwork, etc.). So instead of talking to the most knowledgeable people (HVAC
Dealers), they instead surveyed some of their readers.
That’s why we believe the May 2012 issue of Consumer Reports magazine got it wrong when they rated
the Goodman brand as less reliable than other brands – based solely on some of their readers’ views,
not the laboratory or field testing the magazine is known for. In fact, a few years ago Goodman offered
to provide the editors of Consumer Reports with the facilities to create an independent HVAC testing
facility. Curiously, they turned us down. Instead, when it comes to split HVAC systems, Consumer
Reports relies on sending long surveys exclusively to their readers who have agreed to complete a
survey regarding a wide variety of topics including central air conditioners and heat pump products.
AT GOODMAN, WE BELIEVE IN TESTING.
In fact, we test each Goodman brand product three times, including an actual run test, before it leaves
the assembly line. Goodman’s 10-­‐Year Unit Replacement Limited Warranty, the Lifetime Compressor
Limited Warranty, and a 10-­‐Year Parts Limited Warranty 2 (on select products) give homeowners peace
of mind. The Goodman brand provides strong limited product warranty coverage for a reason. We build
our products to provide lasting performance. Thousands of the nation’s HVAC dealers are confident that
the Goodman brand product they install will effectively satisfy and maintain a homeowner’s indoor
comfort. This confidence in Goodman’s products has resulted in a significant market share gain of over
five points during the period reviewed in the survey. 3
Goodman brand air conditioning and heat pump units are sold by more dealers than any other brand in
the industry. 4 There’s a reason why. Dealers are confident that when they install Goodman brand
products, their customers will be satisfied. Why would thousands of trusted dealers have it any other way?
1 Complete warranty information for Goodman® brand products is available at www.goodmanmfg.com or from a local dealer.
2 Complete warranty details are available from your local dealer or at www.goodmanmfg.com. To receive the 10-­‐Year Unit Replacement
Limited Warranty, the Lifetime Compressor Limited Warranty (good for as long as you own your home) and 10-­‐Year Parts Limited Warranty,
online registration must be completed within 60 days of installation. Online registration is not required in California or Quebec.
3 AHRI Reports
4 2011 Clear Seas Research

April 10, 2012
Page 2 of 3
Goodman takes great pride in our manufacturing quality. In fact, we insist on it. The Goodman brand
product line is assembled in facilities that are ISO 9001-­‐certified, which is accepted worldwide as the
independent standard for quality manufacturing and management processes. We also take pride in our
ability to work with dealers and homeowners to resolve any complaints. It’s why the Goodman brand
was awarded the Better Business Bureau’s ® highest rating. The A+ rating is based on 16 performance
factors that reflect Goodman’s ability to work with homeowners to quickly resolve questions or
concerns regarding the entire line of Goodman heating and cooling products.
Quality, in fact, is an integral part of the Goodman brand mission. From initial assembly to final
installation, the Goodman brand is working diligently to elevate homeowner perceptions of the entire
HVAC industry. One of our quality commitments is to actively support and promote NATE certification,
a symbol recognized by more and more homeowners as the mark of technician excellence.
The Goodman brand has been recognized as an innovator, the industry’s heat transfer experts. Our
engineers and technicians developed high-­‐performance products like the 5mm SmartCoil condenser
coil that greatly increase heat transfer capability in units using R-­‐410A refrigerant, which continues to be
the industry’s most advanced and efficient copper tube and aluminum fin combination.
In 2009, the Goodman brand launched a completely redesigned heat pump, with standard features that
have made it an increasingly popular choice for homeowners.
All-­‐aluminum Goodman brand evaporator coils introduced a single-­‐metal solution to a leading cause of
premature copper coil failures. These durable coils have been rigorously tested in a reliability laboratory
and field-­‐tested, ensuring performance equal to – even exceeding – the performance of the Goodman
brand copper tube and aluminum fin evaporator coils.
The Goodman brand offers simplified installation of previously complex, high-­‐efficiency systems with its
ComfortNet Communicating Control, which a dealer can install using just four wires.
At Goodman we let the market be our judge: the millions and millions of installed Goodman brand air
conditioners and heat pumps that effectively keep homeowners cool and comfortable plus America’s
HVAC dealers whose loyalty we have earned.
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Q: Doesn’t Consumer Reports® rigorously test products before making recommendations?
A: In the case of central HVAC systems, Consumer Reports® does not use scientific testing. Instead, the
magazine relies on reader opinions given as part of a lengthy survey covering numerous household-­‐
related items. The survey is sent to the publication’s readers who have responded that they would
be willing to partake in a survey covering a wide array of products and services.
Q: Did Consumer Reports provide analysis on what failed or was repaired?
A: Dealers know a host of things can contribute to poor cooling or heating, from leaky ductwork to
poorly insulated home construction, to units not properly matched to a home’s size. Consumer
Reports does not take these factors into account when evaluating reader opinion. There is no way to
know if readers were complaining about the units themselves, or some other factor that had
nothing to do with the air conditioner or heat pump itself.
Q: But isn’t Consumer Reports considered reliable?
A: Consumer Reports has provided a great service to consumers. But sometimes they get it wrong. Take
the recent case of the 2012 and 2011 Honda Civic.
Goodman Manufacturing Company, L.P. • 5151 San Felipe, Suite 500 • Houston, TX 77056
Main: 713.861.2500 • www.goodmanmfg.com

April 10, 2012
Page 3 of 3
For the past two years, the Honda Civic LX has been dropped from Consumer Reports’
recommended small car list. Yet, the Civic maintains some of the industry’s best resale
values. While CR issued a scathing review the Honda Civic (August 2011), that same car
earned top ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. One California
dealer responded to the report saying he is having “zero complaints” from customers,
who are snatching 2012 Civics up so fast that “we can’t keep them in stock.” When
asked his opinion of the Consumer Reports’ analysis, this dealer told Auto Remarketing
“It’s unbelievable, frankly.” -­‐ Auto Remarketing 8/3/11
And then there is the Consumer Reports review of the iPhone 4 (July 2010).
Despite CR’s “not recommended” rating, the iPhone 4 went on to become the biggest
selling smart phone in the United States. – PC World 8/5/10
Q: Consumer Reports mentions repair costs in their report. What is the significance?
A: It’s hard to tell. If a Goodman brand compressor covered by a registered limited warranty happened
to fail, the only thing a homeowner would pay for is the labor. Goodman limited warranties cover
the most expensive part of the HVAC system.
Q: What should dealers tell homeowners who might be concerned by the Consumer Report’s article?
A: Tell your customers the simple truth about the Goodman brand. That Goodman brand air
conditioners and heat pumps are assembled in Texas and Tennessee, not outside the United States,
under strict quality standards and certifications. That these products are scrutinized for quality by
rigorous testing that Goodman brand’s limited warranty coverage provides peace of mind. And that
Goodman brand air conditioning and heat pump units are sold by more dealers than any other
brand in the HVAC industry.
Goodman Manufacturing Company, L.P. • 5151 San Felipe, Suite 500 • Houston, TX 77056
Main: 713.861.2500 • www.goodmanmfg.com